Unspoken
by Soul Under
Summary: Because this is as good as it get's, and I can't give you what you want. LeonCloud
1. Empty:Useless

Okay, so this is just a little prologue to the story itself. Just make sure you know in advance, that this story is ANGST. Therefore, it will be written VERY ANGSTY. XD

Kay?

Anyway, the coupling will be eventual Leon/Cloud, Tifa/Aeris, and Riku/Sora.

DISCLAIMER: d00d! Gess wut? I dun pwn it!

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(Leon POV)

**Prologue:**

**A Means to an End**

**---------------**

It was one of _those_ days. You know the type; the ones where the sun refuses to shine – hidden away behind the blankets of swirling storm clouds that shallow up any, and all traces of light. The days in which a dark, thick, depressing haze hangs in the air, contorted with the saddened emotion's of everyone around you, blending starkly with the down-cast atmosphere. The air, thick and muggy, yet somehow strangely refreshing, as it is before every major storm, when the scattered water droplets attempted to break through the haze; unorganized and fragmented as they fell without rhythm – dancing to their own tune.

It was one of those days.

Hollow Bastion had long since been left nothing but a pathetic shell of it's former self; fully succumb to it's underlying name. The once jovial, upbeat, and lively world now nothing but a quiet, desolate death-trap. While we had tried, and tried, to restore our the world, we eventually found it was in vain. There is only so much 'trying' a person can do, before their hope begins to dwindle on a thread. A worn, over-used, and thin thread.

While the Heartless dissipated from our world, we found that our problem's did not. Hollow Bastion was eventually cut off from all the other worlds, left to die alone, as it were. We were beginning to face the harshness of things like food shortages, unbending weather, lack of electricity, and general lack of hope altogether. The days were getting darker and darker, and our faith was being slowly eaten away, filling our hearts with a void doubt and corrupt hope.

Lately, however, I've been beginning to think 'What's the point'? I have nothing left to fight for anymore, and there is nothing more I can do to help ease the suffering of my comrades. I'm 26 years old, and I have no future. Pessimism begins to raise ever-more with our living conditions, when everything you've worked so hard to strive for, falls to pieces at your feet. Scattered, and broken, and then you're left with nothing but an infinite puzzle that will never be complete. Like I said before, there is only so much effort, and trying that someone can do before their flame begins to die.

Before their light begins to die.

Hollow Bastion is dead in the water. No amount of pitiful 'trying' could possibly change that now. We all had slowly come to accept our fate, though it was never voiced – but there was no way out. We were trapped here, in this now-dead world, and we had no way to leave anymore. World-travel was now impossible, forbidden, in a way. We had little resources, and there weren't that many living here.

There were about 100 of us, altogether; which was often sad to think about. Only _100_ people, in an _entire_ _world_?

But I should know by now not to be surprised. It was all inevitable.

Being with the fact that there were so little of people, we had taken to using only the East Wing of the castle, while generally everyone else tried to avoid the castle at all costs. They didn't want to be near 'ground zero'.

But as for our East Wing, there was more than enough space for us there; enough rooms to shelter us all at night, a couple bathrooms, a kitchen, a dinning room... Yes, Hollow Bastion was a gloriously spacious world, but it would by nice if we could actually have more people _here_ to live in it. But I guess, what furthermore prevents us from using the entire castle and world is an entirely different matter.

When a world looses it fresh fragrance, beauty, and luster, it has a tendency to keep you from wanted to see the rest of it.

It's at this point that Aerith comes into my view, from sitting at the top of the East Wing staircase. The tiny light from the candle stick in her hands illuminates her face and torso, and I can't help but noticed how tired she looked, as her green eyes searched the top of the staircase, unable to see me due to the darkness I sat in. She calls my name though, knowing that I'm siting here, even if she can't even see me; because I'm usually here most of the time.

She tells me that dinner is done, and I don't answer her. I'm sure by now, she doesn't even expect an answer anymore.

Due to our lack of electricity now, we've resorted to using candles and spells to light our way in each room, though we don't have to use them until about 7:00pm, when the sun sets completely. It's only 6:30pm, now, and it's already pitch black outside from the storm, thus pushing to the need to to use our poor lighting materials.

Dinner was a routine – a ritual which took place everyday at exactly 6:30pm. It was a simple chance for all of us to get together, and have a sit-down meal, and enjoy what little food we had, because it was more than likely that there would be none for breakfast... or lunch. 6:30pm was generally the only time any of us ate, and half the time, we didn't even do that.

Aerith and Tifa prepared all of our meals, which were typically the same – we didn't have much to go by. It normally consisted of a vegetable stew, with, every once an a while, a few bite-sized pieces of meat for flavoring. Aerith, along with the help of Cloud, grew all of our fruits and vegetables in a small garden she had.

She once told me that nothing made her happier then successfully growing something. Just the simple knowledge that she'd _created_ something – that a living thing couldn't survive without her assistance and care; it was enough to make her smile, even in the darkest of times. She had said that Cloud was originally the one whom had said that to her, long, long ago... but I can't picture it happening. It didn't suit him.

But then again, Aerith would never lie to me about something like that.

She was already long gone – back into the dining room, no doubt – by the time I finally rose to my feet at the top of the staircase, breathing in deeply as I leaned heavily against the dusty, carved oak railing, feeling the abandoned surfaced beneath my ungloved fingertips. I should probably tell Tifa about the dust build up, later. She seemed to have found some meaningful purpose in cleaning – the same purpose that Aerith, and apparently Cloud, get from tending the garden.

We all had our ways of passing off the days. It was obvious we needed a plan, of some kind – anything, but none of us had the simple _will_ to follow through. Not even Aerith, the most optimistic of us all. I knew very well that she just put up that front, while, on the inside she was mis-used, confused, and hopeless like the rest of us. It was bound to happen, I knew, but it bothers me that I can't remember exactly when it was everyone lost their faith and will.

The heavy pattering of rain against the roof, and large windows, mixed with the sound of my boots scuffing against the tiled floor served as my hymn while I walked the empty, dark corridors. It's sad that I don't need light to know where I'm going in Hollow Bastion anymore, because everyday I have to walk the same path. Nothing changes, and nothing ever will.

We were simply a means to an end.

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	2. Remorse:Forget

For future reference, each chapter will be the opposite POV of the one before. So, in other words, the last chapter was in Leon's POV, so this chapter will be Cloud's – then back to Leon for the next one. Ya get it?

Furthermore, this is slightly AU, but at the same time canon.

Everything that happened _before_ FFVII still happened, meaning in which, Zack is dead, and Cloud still spent that 5 years in a tube of mako. Everything that happened during FFVII hasn't happened because the heartless came and destroyed their world. So, Aerith/Aeris is alive, and the whole 'final showdown' with Sephiroth never came to be.

The heartless came to Leon/Squall's world after FFVIII, and basically killed everyone. Leon's the only known survivor.

Also, this WILL be Leon/Cloud, aka: THIS IS YAOI. There will also be past mentions of: Zack/Cloud, Zack/Aerith, Zack/Cloud/Aerith, Leon/Rinoa, Seifer/Leon, Irvine/Leon, and Leon/Zell...Yeah. It's pretty messed up.

Some dialouge and reference for this chapter was taken from a Doujinshi called "Toki no Megami".

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(Cloud POV)

**When the past blends with the present.**

I dig the fingertips of my left hand into my gloved palm, flexing the muscles there absently as I sat sideways on my dining chair, after having pulled it over to one of the large, Victorian windows. I keep my eyes trained out the slightly fogged, gray glass, watching the storm brew before me; the rain pounding so heavily in the dark it almost looked like a shade of black. There's several candles, and decent sized lamps lite in the room with me – the dining room – which provided adequate lighting all around; or at least enough that I could see my reflection in the glass before me.

Dinner has been over an done with for about an hour now; thankfully, Aerith and Tifa didn't badger me about the fact that I didn't eat again. Both of them currently resided at the dining table, Tifa sitting in a chair, while Aerith stood behind her, gently brushing her hair. By her reflection in the glass behind me, Tifa's face held a look of slight peace – relaxation, something I've come to notice I've never been able to make her adorn. I was a source of pain for her, a source of worry. She loved me, yes, but unrequited love is always one of the strongest bearings of pain. And it didn't help that my mind was like a thin sheet of broken glass that was glued back together, the pieces mismatched and aligned, always threatening to break once more, under the slightest weight of pressure.

Leon and Sora resided on the opposite side of the room; the elder leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed, and the key-bearer sitting on the far end of the dining table, as he quietly talked to Leon in a rushed voice. He was talking quietly, so none of us could hear their conversation, but having mako in my system – no matter how faded it may be now – had increased all of my senses exponentially.

"He's getting worse everyday and I can't hel...don't understand why it has to be th...miss Kairi so much. Have you ever felt that lo... nt to go back to my world, back to her... says that the darkness won't stop inside of him..."

Always the same, I've come to notice. He's always going on about how bad Riku's condition is getting – his mental condition, at least. That, and how much he misses his home world, and that girl Kairi. Though, I know I shouldn't be bitter – Sora's a mere kid, after all. At his age, I was just joining ShinRa, and I had just met -

"_...Do you love me, Cloud?"_

-And he's already been though so much after all. And Riku... I feel like I should go an talk to him sometime. He seems so much like me – so identical that it makes me cringe; watching myself unravel all over again.

I can't do that.

However, every time I manage to get myself out of my head, to actually converse with him, I always end up scoffing and walking away. Sometimes I'll just stare at him, instead; which would cause him to awkwardly leave the room. Staring at people is always a nice way to get people to leave you alone, I've come to realize.

But, it wasn't as though I intended to do that before hand, however, every time I come face-to-face with him, his eyes, hair – and hell, everything about him reminds me of Sephiroth. I cannot even look at him without having my mind attempt to drown itself in memories. But that's just the rain, I tell myself.

Because I hated the rain.

Rain caused my mind to succumb to the thick black water that was my memories, forcing me to relive some of my darkest moments while drowning me in the process. Sometimes the hazy fog in my mind got so bad that I would revert back all those years ago, stuck in a nightmare while I was wide awake. Aerith – and sometimes Tifa – have been the only ones capable of bringing me back when that happens.

I hate the rain, almost as much as I hated myself.

"The rain makes you sad," came the soft, melodic voice of Aerith, as she gracefully took a seat on the wide window ledge, smoothing down the folds on her silk dress in the process. Instead of us actually looking at one another, we gazed at each others reflection's instead, her green eyes meeting my turquoise ones. I had a hard time meeting peoples eye nowadays, because a part of me was always expecting to see violet ones staring back – even after 3 years. _Three goddamn years..._

"...That's because... it's depressing." I answered her back softly, leaning forward a little, so I could rest my chin in my palm. My gazed dropped at this, moving to give an empty glare at the window-pane Aerith sat upon.

"Mm." She hummed, lifting a delicate finger to touch the cold surface of the window. She curved her hand down, drawing the letter "C" in the fog that coated the glass, the mark staying behind in it's wake. "You know, to me... it always seemed like whenever it rained, it was because the cloud's were crying."

I pause at this, now staring at the "C" she had drawn, before lowering my gaze once again. I could already begin to feel my subconscious begin to bubble under my skin at what she said, but a part of me forgot just what it was I was trying to forget – what I was trying to force into the back of my brain, so I'd never have to think about it again. What was it?

"No..." I start, closing my eyes almost mechanically. "It was always... hard to work on days like today..."

"You mean in SOLDIER?" She questioned, despite the fact that she knew very well that I was never in SOLDIER. I never made it that far, but at least she knew that saying otherwise might send me into one of my 'memory-induced-fits' and I might forget where the hell I was – again. Or, if worse turns to worse, I could give myself a one-way ticket to a breakdown - _again_.

But none-the-less, I answer her; "Yeah... it's muddy and you're feet get stuck to the ground... It keeps you from moving the way you should, and it gets a lot of people killed because of it."

There was an intense silence between us after I said that last part. She seemed like she was trying to keep something at bay, like she desperately didn't want to bring something up, while there was nothing but confusion on my part. I felt weird for me to say that – it _hurt_ to say what I did. Why did it hurt? Did I forget something again, did I not re-

"_Hey, Cloud... when the war is all over, what do ya say about leaving ShinRa... Just you'n me?"_

I flinch heavily at this, as brief images resurface within my mind, overlapping each other, all snap-shots of raven hair, and violet eyes. One of my hands come up, to pinch the bridge of my nose, I push everything back once more before I started to hit my breaking point. Torture yourself on your own time, Cloud, not when you're around others.

Aerith said nothing as she watched me battle with myself, but when I finally opened my eyes, she was no longer sitting on the window pane, and Tifa was no longer in the room. They had left somewhere together, and Sora was now very silent as he sat before Leon, head down sullenly. I blinked for a moment, turning back to the "C" that Aerith had drawn, what seemed like moments before, but longer in reality, and my breath caught. I felt my black heart sink, as I stared at what was written on the Victorian window.

"_Z C"_

I suddenly felt very cold at that moment. Cold, and lonely. I wanted life to be the way it was before – before the heartless devoured Midgar – before ShinRa deemed it fit to purge Zack and I after years of excruciating torture – before I had to worry about whether or not I would live to see the artificial sunshine again.

It was at this point that I took my leave. Standing up silently, leaving the two brunette males in the room as I walked out into the darkness of Radiant Gar – of _Hollow Bastion's _unlit hallway. I subconsciously ran my hand along the stone wall, feeling it's coolness beneath my gloved fingertips, as I walked sullenly toward the room I deemed my own. My steps paused, however, when a light up ahead caught my attention. The kitchen light was on, meaning in which that someone was in there.

As I slowly drew closer, I could distantly make out the soft, comforting whispers of a mature female voice. The door was nearly closed, opened but a few inches, as I glanced curiously in, catching sight of Aerith and Tifa. They stood close to each other, fingers laced with their foreheads touching. Tifa had her eyes closed, fighting back tears, as Aerith murmured soothing words to calm her. She must have sensed me, because in a split second, her pretty green eyes flicked to me, as she mouthed the words 'Please, not now', before continuing her talk to Tifa.

I gave a small nod, deciding to leave them be, as I turned and walked away, back into the hallway. It was a little disconcerting, yes, but Aerith and Tifa have always been close. In a way, I felt completely useless to the both of them; after all, it was supposed to be my job to look after them. Aerith was Zack's first love, and somewhat a motherly figure for me. Tifa, on the other hand, was once deeply in love with me... though I doubt she still feels the same, after everything I've put her through.

Time seemed to skip forward, because I was suddenly sitting on the bed in my room, with no memory of how I had got there. "Goddammit. Don't do this to me now..." I whispered to myself, lifting a hand to rub my eyes in distress. One minute I'm standing in the kitchen, watching Tifa and Aerith, the next I'm in my room on the other side of the castle.

This has been happening a lot lately. Forgetting things. Whether it be something that had just happened moments before, or it be a memory of long ago – or, forgetting a person in general. Zack, namely. There has been several times in which I was talking to someone, and right in the middle of my sentence, I'd completely forgotten what I was even talking about in the first place.

My mind is unraveling, and I can't seem to sew the strings back fast enough before it falls apart. I want to give up, that's exactly what I want to do. But, I'd promised Zack, long ago, that I would live on for him. I'd live for the both of us.

"Guess I failed you, huh?" I said quietly, looking through the dark, my mako enhanced eyes able to perfectly make out the Buster Sword propped against the opposite wall. "You can't call this living... Zack... Help me. Please? I need you here." I say, despising myself for how pathetic had I sounded, but I was rewarded with no response – which isn't exactly surprising. He's been dead for 3 years, after all. Did I really expect the Buster Sword to talk for him?

What's wrong with me? Why couldn't I just not be me? Why couldn't I be someone more... complete?

I wanted a mind that didn't run off all the time – slipping between my fingertips, and disappearing. _Where does it go?_

I lay back on my bed, so my legs hung off, feet slightly touching the floor. Nothing but shadows and darkness surrounded me, as I closed my eyes, hoping to piece together a little of my fragmented, and racing thoughts. A few seconds passed, as I took in a deep breath, but when I opened my eyes again, I was staring into the artificial blue sky that hung above Midgar, a sea of white and yellow flowers surrounding me.

I dreamed of black hair, and violet eyes that night. But as time wore on, I found the raven hair beginning to lighten into a soft brown, and the cheerful, loving eyes, beginning to turn into bitter and jaded silver ones.

When I awoke, I found myself confused for a moment. Light brown hair meant Aerith, right?... but Aerith doesn't have silver eyes.

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You're all closet readers!! There have been almost 2000 people that have read this story - and only 5 reviews!! What's this??

Trust me, okay? The more reviews I get, the faster I will update! If you want another chapter, without having to wait a few months - REVIEW!! It's like crack for me, kay?


	3. Leader:Motivation

Yes I know this is getting updated slowly, but like I said, **the more reviews the better/faster updates are made**. I'm greedy like that. XP

Also, I've had couple people question me about the time line, seeing as I apparently didn't make it clear enough before. Okay, it's SLIGHTLY AU, and takes place between KH1 and KH2. Hollow Bastion is still Hollow Bastion. It's not Radiant Garden yet. Meaning in which, it's still the huge dark castle. This is kind of telling the story as to how exactly it got to look the way it does in KH2. This chapter deals a lot with the tearing-down-and-rebuilding part – and yes, there will be some Leon/Cloud interaction – key word there: **interaction**. I don't want to like, have them meet up, realize their sudden spontaneous love for each other and screw. That's it how it works in real life – especially with people like them, they would fall in love more slowly.

Next up; How did they get there? Like I said before, it's AU in this sense. Cloud's world, Midgar, was already completely destroyed and never restored, so he stayed in Hollow Bastion, where Aerith and Tifa resided. Sora and Riku are stuck there by chance. [This would be an alternate ending. Riku made it out of the Door, and Sora hasn't gone to 'sleep' yet.] They got stuck in Hollow Bastion, since it was the closest world; and after the restoration, world-travel had been blocked once more. So they've got no way out. And YES. THERE WILL BE RIKU/SORA PARTS, okay?

Aaaaaaand......I think that's all for now. If you've got any more questions guys, feel free to ask. ^_^ But PLEASE don't email them to me – just ask in a review. [Seeing as I got a couple of emails, s'okay, but I'd prefer to see it in a review, seeing as I don't check my email that often.]

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(Leon POV)

**When in need of a leader don't just sit and wait; take action.**

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People are Sheep's. Now, of course, I don't mean this _literally_ or anything, but most people are Sheep's. They are quick to panic, and have an overwhelming urge to be led – hell, half the time they won't do a _goddamn thing_ without instruction. It's as though they need someone to constantly tell them to get off their ass and do something, you know? Because without guidance they might sit around and rot themselves away.

Though, that might have been a bit hypocritical of me to say. I spent most of my morning listening to Tifa, Aerith, and Sora babble to each other in the dining hall. Sora wanted some advice with Riku again – he seems unwilling to give up. Riku is so far gone now, that I don't think that anything can bring him back. That kid submerged himself in darkness in the past; there is no way he'll ever be able to rid himself of it again. It's just like a badly addicting drug.

But it's afternoon now, and the sky is clear from the thick haze of yesterdays storm, almost as though it was never there in the first place. The grass and asphalt are still soaked, and water droplets still continue to run down the windows, the sun now completely drying them out. The weather seems to actually be nice for once........ and yet I haven't done a thing today.

I sat around at the top of the steps for a bit, talked briefly to Yuffie, and moved on to pacing through the halls. What was I doing? Is this really the end? Am I just going to go day after day, doing nothing but brooding while I rot away in this living nightmare?

Am I not even going to fight?

My whole world is slowly decaying, and yet I'm not doing a thing to stop it. Why? What's wrong with me?

3 years ago I would have done anything by any means to help others, if I knew it would improve their lives even the tiniest of bits.. Now It's as though I don't even have the motivation, nor will to even simply _care_ about another's welfare.

Squall was a Shepard, not a Sheep.

But Leon............._I_ was becoming the very Sheep I detested.

My fists clench tightly at my side, as I abruptly stopped in the middle of the hall, closed doors at each of my sides. That was it. I'm done. Something has got to change, because this is just getting plain ridiculous. I am not weak, I am not pathetic. I will not sit by and watch my world fall apart before my eyes **again**, knowing all the while, that I can do something to stop it.

I am a Leader. I'm a Shepard.

...But where do I start?

* * *

I don't even bother using the handle as I kick the storage-room door open, dust accumulating in the air causing me to to hold my breath for a moment to keep from coughing. I had two candle holders in each hand; 4 candles lit altogether, 2 on each holder. But here, in the darkness of the castle's lowest levels, something that small provided more than enough lighting to complete my task.

Long ago, we had began to consider the basement as something of a storage area; seeing as it held all of our spare weapons, some wood, furniture, and other miscellaneous items we might have need of. And everything down there, I guarantee I'll find some use of it all.

Placing the candles on a nearby dust coasted end-table, I glanced around for a moment, my eyes scanning over the cluttered room before taking sight of my area of interest. Approaching said opposite end of the room, I slid my hands around the hilt of one of the several sledge hammers that lay propped up against the stone wall. Frowning a little, I hoisted the tool upon my shoulder, bearing it's weight easily as I grabbed up another in my spare hand. With my strength, this really shouldn't take too long, I was hoping to have most of it all unloaded upstairs by the end of the night.

* * *

I was only about an hour and a half later, when I had stacks upon stacks of wood piled along in the main hall, with boxes of tools scattered among them, that someone finally came across me. I had a thin sheet of plywood under one arm, and a box of nails in the other, when I turned to see Cloud Strife standing before me with a rather unreadable expression. Setting said items down, I met his blank gaze head on, wandering whether or not he might say something first. Like, _"What exactly are you doing?"_ or _"Are you starting to rebuild?" _

But when he showed no indication of saying anything, I decided to make the first move. ".......What?" I asked, keeping my eyes locked on his, not even daring to back down. It was unnerving; the way he stared at me, his face set in stone, eyes completely unblinking. He seemed so......lost. Like he wasn't exactly in this place, at this current time. I wanted to know what was going though that head of his – what words he thought of.

I blinked at him. He stared back.

Neither of us moved.

Had he even heard me? Does he know that I asked him a question, or is he just ignoring me?.........Does he even realize that I'm standing right in front of him?

".........Uh....Cloud?" I asked, looking at him a little more curiously now. This time however, I received a response, despite how confusing it may be.

Cloud Strife blinked a few times, eyes now seeming a tad bit clearer, as he lifted his head a bit; less downcast than before. ".....I.........Did you say something?" He said, his voice keeping that same soft monotone it always had. I never knew why, exactly, but Cloud had always seemed to hold this intense sadness about him; and intense sadness, mixed with a deep anger.

He had always sounded, and seemed so utterly impatient and depressed, like there was weight upon weight dropped upon his shoulders until could no longer lift his head to look, or even care about the world before him. Never in my life had I come across someone so melancholy, so seemingly empty before – which, in a sense completely contradicts him. While he may seem depressed, he is also extremely diligent and cocky. Sometimes he could turn into a complete asshole without warning, and whenever engaged in combat, he _does not_ give up. He won't. He'll keep fighting until his body gives out.

I shook my head a little, furrowing my eyebrows at him. "Cloud are you alright?" I replied. Where did he go just now? Somewhere in his head, thats for sure.

He lowered his face a little, not meeting me in the eye. A clear sign of avoidance. "Yeah. I'm fine." he said in a tone that clearly stated 'don't push it'.

Placing a hand on my hip, as I shifted my weight, I glanced from a stack of wood, to the blond before me. "What are you doing over here – I thought you were with Aerith?"

He looks up this time, but still doesn't meet my eye. ".....My room is right there." He says, pointing to one of the doors just a few feet behind him the the hall. "I was in there.......I, uh......I just heard a noise. I didn't know what it was."

"Yeah, I guess that was me." I said, nodding at his response. I guess that did made sense; I was being a bit loud with the wood, now that I thought about it.

There was an awkward silence at this. Part of me expected him to say....well, _something_, but I was only rewarded with nothing as he continued to stare down to the side.

This is one of the many things I did not like about Cloud Strife. He could not keep a conversation to save his life, and because of that, it often lead to incredibly awkward situations. It's seemed like no one ever knew just what exactly to _say_ to him. And when he met your eye, he just eerily stared as though he wasn't really _seeing_ you.

I cleared my throat, turning back toward the basement door, before looking over to him for a moment. "I should get back to what I was doing."

Cloud finally meets my eye for a brief moment, before quickly glancing away again. "Right, I should....go."

I responded with a curt nod, as he walked back down the hall to his room. I turn back around and head down the to the basement once more.

* * *

A grunt emits from my throat, my biceps tightening as I tried my best to keep the refrigerator held up before me. Yes, that's right, a refrigerator. The was an extra one stored down here, and it went unused due to fact that we already had one upstairs. But, it's not like we could even use that one anyway; we had no running source of power. At least not yet. I plan on installing, and hooking up a system at some point.

Setting the refrigerator down a few feet away, I exhaled heavily, panting a little bit as I placed my hands on my knees, my muscles screaming as I caught my breath. That felt good – really good. I forgot how much I love exerting myself – in anyway possible. I think I might grab my gun blade and go out to train a bit later.

A slight grin curved at my lips. I can't believe this. I'm feeling more.....alive. Like I've got some sort of spirit again. Was this all it took? Getting off my ass and doing something useful towards this world again?

I sighed deeply, standing up straight, as I walked back to the empty spot that the refrigerator once sat at. I had originally planned on clearing out whatever was behind it, but it ended up hitting a wall. "Huh." I mumbled. Well, at least I found one end to the room.

I moved to the side, ready to start grabbing up more boxes and spare wood, before something caught my eye. I hadn't seen it clearly before, since my body shadowed to wall, seeing as the candles were behind me, but the moment I moved, the wall gained more light, and I could see it clearly.

The wall was different colored. It was a slightly lighter shade than that of the fine stone wall around it – and that wasn't even taking into fact that the lighter part looked much smoother. It was cement. Someone had filled in a doorway with cement, blocking passage though.

There was another room behind there.

I lifted a gloved hand, running it over the rough surface of the cemented door, sliding my hand across it until I reached the uneven bumps of the shapely Victorian rock.

There's no way that I could possibly take it down with my gun blade. It doesn't have the brute strength necessary for something like this. I could probably use one of the sledgehammers, but they would be more suited for taking down regular walls, not solid blocks of cement. There was no telling how thick it was either.

I closed my eyes in thought for a moment, trying to decide on my best method, before it finally hit me. Cloud. While he may not be 'all there' he does sure as hell have brute strength packed away in that buster sword of his. It's been about 2 hours since I talked to him in the hall, so there's no telling where he's at now. My best bet, however, would be to check his room, then to go and find Aerith.

My boots thumped slightly against the dusty basements steps as I made my way back up to the first level. I glanced down the hall for a moment, trying to remember exactly what room it was that Cloud was talking about before. Walking a few doors down, I took hold of a knob at random, and walked in.

I ended up getting it on the first try though, when I saw the Buster Sword propped up in the corner on the far side of the room. But no sign of Cloud Strife himself.

He had a couple of wall-torches lit, keeping the lighting rather adequate, as I entered a little farther in, trying to double check that he wasn't somewhere I couldn't see. As I looked around, I noted to myself just exactly how _bare_ the room seemed. There was nothing personal about the place at all – no warming feeling, just his sword, a dresser, as desk, and a neatly made bed that was – ........hold on.

I paused briefly, furrowing my eyebrows slightly as I approached his perfectly made bed. Setting upon it was and open photo-album, it's leather binding worn; the pages yellowing with age around the edges. Frowning, I knelt at the bedside, pulling the book a little closer so I could see it more clearly.

On the pages that were open, one side was a picture of a very young version of Cloud; his eyes were wide and bright, as he smiled shyly to the camera, seeming so unsure and self-conscious of himself. However, he looked the complete opposite of the male next to him, who had his arm draped around Clouds shoulder in a half-hug. His hair was raven, with long straight and neat bangs in the front that framed his face, whilst the back consisted of wild and untidy spikes. He looked so confidant – so lively, violet eyes showing childish humor as he grinned mischievously.

On the opposite page was Cloud, the raven, and a young Aerith; all of them sitting on a blanket in a field of yellow and white flowers. Aerith was holding the camera up before herself, positioning it down so that they all fit neatly together. Her hair was down, soft brown curls falling around her shoulders, laughing gently as the raven was pulling an equally laughing Cloud into a playful headlock.

I had never seen Cloud laugh before – or smile, for that matter.

Suddenly I felt very out of place. I shouldn't be in here - I was invading his privacy.

Frowning a little in disgust at myself and my own nosiness, I moved the album back to its original position, straightening up as I exited the room, heading down the hall towards the living room, continuing my search for the blond in question.

Upon entering the living room, the first thing to catch my attention was Sora, deep in thought on the couch, his knees drawn up to his chest with his head slightly lowered. Under normal circumstance, I usually tried to help him with his problems, or at least give him someone to talk to man-to-man, when to overly kind words of Aerith and Tifa frustrated him. Sometimes he just needed someone to be honest, and blunt; to tell him the reality, and not false hopes. Cid sometimes came in handy in the department, when he wasn't currently out in the town, yelling at the local dwellers there.

There is only so much I can do for Sora, though. Riku was in such a bad state, that I don't think he'll ever make a full recovery from the darkness within him. It spreads like a poison in his veins.

Nowadays, Riku keeps himself locked away within his bedroom, not even coming out for things like food and water, Sora has to bring it to him instead. When it had become painfully obvious that Riku showed no sign of leaving, Sora grabbed himself up a futon, and now currently sleeps on the floor in Riku's bedroom, instead of keeping his own place.

I continued on, leaving him to his thoughts, as I pocketed one of my hands. Tifa and Yuffie were having 'girl-talk' in the Dining Room, with Cid sitting with them..... chatting along?? It's a rarity to see him putting up with Yuffie's jabbering. I could see perfectly how forced Yuffie's smile was, how hollow their laughs sounded; and it seemed as if they too, had given up hope. I turned my attention away from them, and continued my search.

I ended up finding Cloud and Aerith a few minutes later in the small garden that was kept outside. Aerith was sitting on her knees in the grass, her dress smoothed out neatly over her thighs, while she tended to a small patch in the garden that held an assortment of yellow and white flowers. Cloud sat next to her, legs bent before him with his elbows resting on his knees, as his slowly spun a picked white and yellow flower between his fingers. Neither of them talked, as it seemed that they merely enjoyed each others company; I had always known that Aerith had a strange sort of power of Cloud – everyone knew that. She was almost like that of a mother figure for him.

Approaching the two, I watched as they turned to see me, the sound of my steps catching their attention. "Aerith, Cloud." I greeted as they fully turned, but didn't stand up. Aerith smiled and nodded back in greeting, Cloud did nothing.

"I need your assistance with something." I said, looking down at the blond, as he stared back with an eyebrow raised. "Actually, I just need your sword."

I finally got a response from him, as he crossed his arms, in an uninterested manner. "What for?" He questioned back.

"Ah....." I started, not knowing what to say. _Gee, Cloud, I don't know, I just suddenly got the urge to DO something with my fucking life, and right now, there is a cement wall blocking it, and I need you to use your fancy sword to tear it down._ "There is something in the basement that I need to do, but my gun blade lacks the brute force necessary to do it."

We stared each other down, as moments ticked by, and I found myself thinking just how unusual this was. Just a few hours before, Cloud was hesitant, distant, and he couldn't even meet my eye. Now he was acting more apathetic, impatient, and his eyes were perfectly clear and grounded. Which Cloud was the real one? That nervous and awkward one, or this forceful and blunt one?

Cloud shook his head though, turning back to the garden in an irritated fashion. "Not interested." He spoke, his voice perfectly displaying just how annoyed he was that someone had interrupted his peace.

I mentally sighed, starting to loose patience myself over him and his attitude. "Look, I've been bringing all that shit up from the basement, because I want to start rebuilding this world. I'll do it by myself, if I have too, all I'm asking is that you tear down a cement door. That's it, okay?"

He kept his back to me, not giving any response of the like, as it seemed he was perfectly bent on ignoring me until I left, but Aerith chose this moment to butt in, giving him a light smack on the arm. "Cloud." She said sternly, giving him a look. "Go help him."

Cloud continued to ignore me, but did turn his head to look at Aerith a little. She crossed her arms at him, seeming more and more like a mother over the past few minutes, and Cloud was her disobeying son. "_Cloud_."

This time however, Cloud finally caved at Aerith's tone, and moved to stand up. "Fine, I'll help you." He said moodily.

I nodded to Aerith in a gesture of 'thank you', and she smiled back with a nod. Looking back to Cloud, he met my gaze stubbornly, his turquoise eyes clearly showing just how irritated he was at the moment. Turning away from him, I started back inside, I shook my head to myself as Cloud quickly walked so he was at my side, not wanting to trail behind and seem as though he were subordinate to me.

Maybe this was the real Cloud. Maybe he was just an asshole like me, only more of the apathetic and disinterested kind. Or maybe he just generally didn't like me, and I pissed him off.

But then again, it didn't matter to me. Once he knocks that cement block down, he can go back to sitting angrily in the window panes like he usually did.

* * *


End file.
